1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a posture correction apparatus and a posture correction method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A posture correction supporter (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-238930), which is a medical health product, has a function to maintain a human body in a predetermined posture by being attached to a predetermined position on the body. The posture correction supporter has the capability of changing the posture of the body from a poor posture, such as a rounded back posture, to a good posture, such as a straight back posture, and maintaining the body in good posture.
However, once the posture correction supporter is removed from the body, the body is likely to return to the former poor posture over time. In addition, the posture correction supporter is not necessarily wearable all the time. It is thus desirable to maintain the body in good posture by using its own muscle strength.
In addition, the capability to maintain the body in good posture by using its own muscle strength is advantageous for improving aesthetic appearance including facial impression as well as for improving health.
For example, the trapezius muscle, which is one of the back muscles, connects to the frontalis muscle, which is one of the facial muscles, via the galea aponeurotia in the head and the occipitalis muscle. Thus, increasing the strength of the trapezius muscle may promote an increase in the strength of the frontalis muscle, lift up the facial skin, and reduce the occurrence of facial issues which may be caused by sagging skin, such as nasolabial folds. That is, exercising necessary muscles may make it possible to reduce the sagging of facial skin which may be caused by a reduction in the strength of the muscles in the face and body (hereinafter referred to simply as “facial sagging”).
One of the possible solutions to address the issues described above is to exercise muscles by using a device for providing external stimulation to the muscles (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 4-312472), such as by using electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) electrodes, to reduce facial sagging.